Rhinestone making machine



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ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES RHINESTONE MAKING MACHINEJohn Moscini, Chico, Calif., assignor to American Rhinestone Company,Inc., a corporation of California Application September 19, 1938, SerialNo. 230,586

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for making rhinestones, andparticularly represents simplifications and. improvements over themachine shown in my Patent No. 2,076,502, dated April 6, 1937.

In the previous machine, molten glass was used as the base from whichthe rhinestones were formed, and one object of the present in vention isto eliminate this feature and use instead preformed glass balls,purchasable in the open market, and which may be in a variety of colors.

In connection with such balls, I have provided a simple device forfeeding them in proper order to the movable holders on which the ballsare ground and polished, and for securing and centering the balls inplace prior to the grinding operation.

A further object is to provide a simplified means for transferring theballs from one set of holders to another, in an inverted position whenone half of the balls have been ground and polished to give the desirednumber of finished facets.

- These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

s Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic and foreshortened side view of themachine.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan View showing the device for feedingthe balls to the individual holders.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse view showing the ball pressing andcentering wheel in operation.

Figure 4 is a similar View showing a grinding wheel in operation.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross section on line 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the means for rotatingthe holders through a quarter turn after two opposed facets of the ballshave been ground, so as to place the other faces in operative relationto the grinding wheels.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side View of the chain on which the holdersare mounted.

Figure 8 is an enlarged View of a finished rhinestone.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the machine includes an endless chain arranged with its runshorizontal and in vertically spaced relation. The chain comprises solidlinks pivoted together and having outwardly projecting cylindrical lugs2 on opposite sides adapted tobe engaged by the teeth of end sprocketwheels 3 which support and drive the chain at one end. I have shown thelugs of the chain at the other end as being supported by idler rollers4, but sprocket wheels may of course be used. The links are arranged sothat while they may turn on their connecting pins 5 in one direction,they are incapable of deviation from a straight line in the otherdirection, or in a direction away from their outer faces, as plainlyshown in Fig. 6.

Turnably supported in each link is a pin, 6, disposed at right angles tothe pins 5. Rigid with the pins and projecting from the outer face ofthe links are cylindrical members I forming ball holders, each member atits outer end having a pyramidal socket 8. A ratchet wheel 9, ofsubstantially square form, is rigid with each holder member at the basethereof.

The sprockets 3 are driven at a suitable speed by any desired form ofdrive mechanism in ,a direction such that the upper run moves toward thesprockets 3. Mounted above said run adjacent the end thereof oppositesaid sprockets is a horizontal rotary plate it, cut through which is arow of round holes H slightly larger than the balls 12 from which therhinestones are fashioned. These holes are centered on a circle which istangent to the axis of the row of holders on the chain, and arespaced'apart the same distance as the spacing of the holders so as tosuccessively register therewith when the plate is rotated at the samespeed as the horizontal speed of the holders. Such speed is imparted tothe plate by a toothed wheel 13 fixed with the plate, and the teeth ofwhich wheel pass between and are engaged by successive holders, asplainly shown in Fig. 2.

The halls are fed in single file order to the successive holes in theplate through a relatively long conduit M, which slopes upwardly fromregistering relation with a hole H other than that one which is tangentto the holders, to a connection with the base of a supply hopper S5 inwhich a revolving yieldable agitator brush ii is disposed. An electricheater element El surrounds the conduit for the greater portion of itslength. The balls will thus be heated as they travel along the conduit.To retain the balls as initially delivered into the holes ll until eachhole in succession registers with a holder, a stationary ball supportingplate !8 is disposed under the rotary plate iii between the latter andthe holders.

The sockets 8 are of sufficient size at their outer end to form seatsfor the balls, and to secure the balls against movement when droppinginto place on the holders from the feed or distributing plate, thesockets ahead of said plate supplied with a suitable molten cement suchas sealing wax by means of a device indicated at E9, and which may bethe same as shown in my prior patent. The holder sockets as they reachthe distributing plate are thus partially filled or lined with thecement as shown at 29. The cement, even if partially set by the time theballs engage the same, is again immediately rendered in a semi-fluid ormolten condition by .he heat of the balls,

As the holders move from under the distributor plate, the balls thereinare at once engaged by a circularly grooved wheel 2i which presses theballs firmly into place and also centers them. Beyond this wheel is aseries of grindi g and polishing wheels 22 which grind and polishopposed facets 23 on the balls. The polishing wheels P, of which thereare preferably two, are the last the series. The holders and balls areheld against rotation on the chain links during this grinding operationby a fixed guide bar which engages the ratchet members 9 on one side.

These two facets having been finished, it is of cou se necessary to turnthe holders to present the ether sides of the balls to the subsequentseries of grinding and polishing wheels 25 and P respectively, arrangedas above described. In the present machine, this is accomplished bymeans of a resilient pawl 26 formed as an extension of a fixed spiralspring 2'! disposed to the side of the holders opposite the guide plateand ahead of the pawl itself. This pawl engages between adjacent ratchetmembers 9, as shown in Fig. 6, and with the continued advancing movementof the latter, causes them to turn one by one through a 90 arc, theguide bar 24 being arcuately cut away for a short distance as shown at28, to permit of such turning. Even if the turn thus made is not exactly90, the members 9 will be properly ad- ,iusted to their new position bythe reengagement of said members with the guide bar at the end of theturning operation.

The balls are then in position to be operated on by the grinding wheels25 which complete the production of the rhinestone from the outer orupper half of the balls. The balls must be then inverted, so as toexpose the still circular and uncut portions for grinding. To eifectthis, the holders pass about the sprockets 3 to an inverted or dependingposition relative to the chain links, where they aline with holders 1a,of identical form on the upper run of another endless chain is. of thesame construction as the upper chain. The two chains are connected indriving relation for movement at the same speed and with adjacent runsmoving in the same direction by gearing 29 between the end sprockets 3of the upper chain and the corresponding sprockets 3a of the lowerchain.

For a certain portion of the length of the adjacent lower and upper runsof the upper and lower chains respectively, electric heaters 39 extendalong the same on opposite sides and as close as practicable to theholders as shown in Fig. 5. The cement in the upper holders is thussoftened, and the balls drop of themselves into the sockets 8a of theholders la. below, cement for which being supplied from a device l9a thesame as previously described.

The round, uncut portion of the balls is then exposed for grinding, theground portion being received in the sockets as shown in Fig. 5. Theholders on the adjacent runs of the chains preferably come as closetogether as possible, so that the extent or" drop of the balls isminimized, and after the runs separate, the uncut portion of the ballsis acted on by the separate series by grinding and polishing Wheels 22aand 25a, with a holder turning pawl 26a between the series as on theupper chain.

When the grinding of the balls is completed and the resultantrhinestones are produced, they are on the holders of the lower chain inan inverted position. The holders may then be subjected to heat fromelectric elements 3!, which softens or melts the holding cement,allowing the finished rhinestones R to drop into a receiving bin 32. Theempty holders then move past the cement applying device Na and againassume a position to receive balls dropping from the upper chainholders. Although balls of various colors may be supplied from the onehopper, I preferably keep them segregated in different hoppers, eachbeing associated with a complete grinding apparatus as above described.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device. still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for making rhinestones from preformed glass ballscomprising a row of elements each having a socket forming a seat for aball, a grinding device, means to move the elements as a unit lengthwiseof the row and past the device, a ball hopper above the elements, meansto apply cement to the sockets at a point ahead of the grinding device,means to distribute balls from the hopper into the sockets in successiveorder with the movement of the elements and at a point between thegrinding device and the point of application of the cement, the cementbeing of a meltable nature and being applied to the sockets in a moltencondition; and means to heat the balls just prior to their distributioninto the sockets.

2. A machine as in claim 1, with means to center the balls in. thesockets and press the same into the cement before the balls reach thegrinding device with the movement of the elements.

3. A machine for making rhinestones from glass elements comprising anendless chain, a plurality of element holders projecting outwardly fromand turnably mounted on the chain, means to feed elements onto theholders in successive order at a predetermined point in the length ofthe chain, separate grinding wheels spaced lengthwise of the chainbeyond the point of feed of the elements and each arranged to engage thesuccessive elements on their opposite sides, means functioning with themovement of the chain to turn the holders through a predetermined arc inthe space between the wheels, and means normally preventing rotation ofthe holders; said holder turning means comprising a ratchet member fixedwith each holder and a resilient pawl mounted in a fixed position andengaging said member.

4. In a machine for making rhinestones from preformed glass balls, a rowof spaced upstanding ball holders adapted to support balls to be groundon their upper end, means to move the holders lengthwise of the row andpast a grinding device, a rotary horizontal plate above the holders,said plate having a row of spaced ball openings arranged about a circle,one opening at a time registering with a holder, means to rotate theplate with the movement of the holders so that the holes in the platesuccessively register with the holders, a, ball supply hopper, means tofeed balls from the hopper into the plate holes in successive order withthe rotation of the plate and means to prevent the balls dropping clearof the plate until the holes successively register with the holders;said plate rotating means comprising a wheel fixed concentric'with theplate and having teeth between the holes therein, the holders beingcircular and the teeth projecting between adjacent holders in drivingengagement; the spacing of the teeth and plate holes being the same asthe spacing of the holders.

5. A machine for making rhinestones from preformed glass ballscomprising a row of elewith the movement of the elements and at a pointbetween the grinding device and the point of application of the cementand a heating device about the conduit for the major portion of itslength.

6. In a grinding machine, an endless chain comprising pivotallyconnected links, end sprockets about which the chain passes, workholders mounted on and projecting outwardly from individual links and agrinding wheel mounted in a position between the sprockets to engage thework in the holders; the links, outwardly of theirpivots, being formedwith end faces adapted to engage each other when the links are instraight alinement to prevent inward buckling of the chain and maintainthe holders in parallel relationship.

JOHN MOSCINI.

